Shadow Realm: Unity
by jkBAKURA
Summary: Offshoot of ManCalledTrue's Shadow Realm: Fifteen and used with Permission.
1. Dark Beginnings

_The Central Shadow Realm, or if you are like the citizens who live there and prefer the shortened version, CSR. That tells you something right there. A community takes a proper name, and shortens it to the point where the society knows these letters as an entire concept, but what was lost in these words? Do the citizens still remember what those words stood for? Or even what words their common letters mean?_

Ask someone, and they will tell you they don't know, or even if they do, they don't care. Deeper meaning is something not searched for in the dow Central Shadow Realm. It is what it is, and you are what you are. Change is a matter for the Counsel to decide, and even then, events happen around you. One does not peruse their own causes.

To the higher class this is arrogant, to the low ones it is a death wish. All a monster needs to survive is provided for them. But there are those few, who stop trying to survive, and start trying to live…

**Shadow Realm: Unity**

By jkBAKURA

_Inspired by Master of Paradox's Central Shadow Realm featured in the fanfic Shadow Realm: Fifteen, with a few minor references to Dark Sage's fic Shadow Realm: P.I. All monsters are the creations of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga and animated series. All credit goes to them. Credit to whatever else happens in this story, belongs to me._

**Chapter One: Dark Crisis**

Very rarely, is there a story worth telling in the Central Shadow Realm that does not involve their Police Force. And it was in their main Headquarters that a single being stood in the center of the dark and quiet interrogation room. From above, one could only tell he was a warrior, and they could also see he was outnumbered. 

Twelve, in fact, was the number of other creatures around the edges of the room, each an opponent, looking for their chance to overwhelm their opponent.

The central warrior did not move. In fact, he didn't even open his eyes, and he didn't have to. They would come to him soon enough.

His eyes shot open as an opponent behind him made the first rush. Nimbly he raised his arm behind him, hearing a clang of metal, as he pointed his blade downwards behind him, saving his pelvis and spine from parting company.

The others all moved in at once.

Spinning his opponent's sword away from him, he used the momentum to smack the conflicting blade into the helmet of another challenger. Turning swiftly, he braced his hands of the shoulders of a third warrior behind him. Bracing himself, he kicked at the first two, barely slipping over the blade of the third.

On instinct, he used the force to land on his feet, back to back with the third adversary. Keeping his arms around the thick neck, the warrior threw his captive over in front of himself, feeling satisfaction as he heard the wind leave from the monster's lungs. 

Grabbing his own blade, the central fighter made a jump. And with that he all but disappeared, leaving nine combatants confused in the dimly lit room. Everyone listened closely. A confused yelp and a heavy slumping sound confirmed that their numbers were now seven.

Taking advantage of the shift in glance, the two nearest to the back swiftly went down, now giving everyone a large amount of unconscious bodies to step over.

Apparently one of the opponents had played around enough.  
"Shining Blade!"

The dull blue light was just enough not to hurt anyone's eyes. Looking up, the remaining five found their opponent hanging from his sword, which was planted at an angle into the ceiling.

"Really, Runsei, I was just beginning to have fun."

"Well, I just have to add back the challenge then don't I?"

The shining sword now held in Runsei's hand swept where the central man hung just a moment before. The four other fighters held ready stances, blades up, just before he hit the ground. The man rolled and came to his feet in a perfect ready stance without even a head rush.

Three of the opponents gulped before moving as one.

The Central man burst into action, weaving his blade, never pulling it close, he fought from a distance, weaving and swerving like a true fencer.

The other swung their swords in powerful arcs that would have been finishers if they had connected, but their opponent kept moving, giving ground to avoid the blows his elegant style could not deflect.

Leading them where he wanted, the figure got them slipping up, tripping over each other, and interfering with each others' blades.

Ducking under a blow, a sweep kick knocked one on their rump. His opponent jumped out of the way, just in time for one of his own teammates to send a blade at his grounded form. Doing the only thing he could think of, the fallen teammate put out his feet, and caught the lunger in a two-footed kick, which led to a critical pause in which the opponent knocked the lunger into unconsciousness, before hitting the grounded one's head to the floor to do the same.

The third man struck then, only to get the climber's blade through the hand guard of his own sword. An impact of an elbow quickly took him out of the fight.

Now it was down to two, and the next one to attack was by far the fastest. Her sword was shorter, and even he had to keep up his delicate strokes to avoid her getting too close. 

Slowly he backed away, nearing the wall, placing his short stabs to lure her where he wanted to go. All too soon, his blade left scratches in the wall at his opponent's back as she narrowly dodged each stab. Having no other choice, she made a leap over him, just as he wanted her to. He caught her midriff with the side of his sword, knocking her breath away as he used the force to slam her into the floor.

Now it was just him, and the one he had called Runsei, the only one that would truly force him to use all of his strength. 

Blades locked intensely. Runsei used his own style against him, using the lack of kinetic force to block the blade away, getting close where he worked so hard to keep an opponent from getting, but at the same time keeping the blade spinning in front of his own body, preventing space for a stab. 

Worse, the light from the blade obscured his vision of the rest of the fighter, leaving him more then once righting himself after a leg intent on tripping him. 

Now, this was what he had been waiting for.

Summoning up his true power, he finally let it all go. This was why he was where he was. Others were faster, others were stronger, but no one could match his skill with a blade. 

Moving like a watercolor, his strokes became faster, forming a circle of dancing metal. Runsei could do nothing but speed up his cycle of blocks, but he couldn't keep it up for long. 

It seemed like fighting seven swords instead of one. Looking behind at the rapidly approaching wall, he made a desperate attempt to wound his opponent's leg.

He was met with a swift downward stroke, the opposing blade piercing his own, sticking it like a pin into the floor.

Recovering, he felt a palm thrust into his abdomen, and felt a tickling that filled him with dread.

"Chivalry Fist!"

The attack echoed throughout the chamber. Red and black beams of power shot from his fingertips like claws. Runsei waited for the end to come, and was shocked when it did not. He looked down to see the four holes burned through his body and stared at his opponent.

"You didn't hit anything vital?"

"I do riot control, and sometimes the lower class need something to scare them into line. You should see the looks on their faces sometimes."

The Blade Knight known as Runsei took a look at the battered array of Armails, M-Warriors, and the single Warrior Lady of the Wasteland that had given him so much trouble.

"You certainly have a way with the lower class …"

"Meridio!"

The victor turned to meet the source of the voice, a young woman wrapped in blue, with hair a shade unseen in the mortal plain. She wore simple sandals, but what she wore that Meridio found most distressing was a scowl.

She was a Protector of the Throne, no one of consequence in the class system, simply hired help. With the high crime rates, there was a constant need for anything available to prevent and react to crimes. Her species were naturals for the job based on their sense of duty, and their hints of clairvoyant ability.

Meridio regarded her politely.

"Protector PeeTee Two Thirty Seven Dash See Nine, is there something wrong?"

"Well, Jack's Knight Seven Oh Six Dash Jay," She responded coolly, "Only if taking time off from your duties to beat up on your subordinates and call it work would raise an issue with Dupin."

His mouth tightened with distaste. 

"I spent a lot of time picking out my name, so I'd prefer if you used it."

"I found mine in seconds and the feeling is the same."

Runsei, the Blade Knight, rose to his feet.

"Don't you worry about me, I can nab him on a good day still. I take it you were sent for a briefing."

The Protector looked to him, politely avoiding the other unconscious fighters around the room.

"Yes, and this one may need Dupin's personal attention… but for now, Sergeant," she turned back to Meridio, "it looks like it falls to you. You'll be filled in, but if this doesn't quiet Forseti himself might interfere."

Meridio had his duty, and he knew it. 

"Very well, I will be with you shortly…Veronica."

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Meridio was exceptional, a prodigy among the Shadow Realm Police Force. He had exited the Beginner's Hall in three days, closed his first case within a week, been promoted to Sergeant within a year, and was still relatively young at that.

Everyone had him pinned as Dupin's replacement or even Forseti's, and those who had fought him expected him to live long enough to do it. The one who called herself Veronica however, found him to cause unease as they walked down the otherwise empty hallway.

Finally ending up at a briefing room, the two of them took separate seats, and waited for their instructions. The Jack's Knight struggled to find a way to break the silence, but was spared, as a Cyber Commander came through the opposite door carrying a file.

"Oh, boy," he chuckled, "You are going to have your hands full with this one, let me tell you!"

"Skip it, and give us the briefing so we can get to work," Meridio barked, causing Veronica to jump. Clearly nervous, the Cyber Commander continued.

"Yes well, I suppose I should start with this."

Redirecting some of his power, the machine began a perfect recording of Dupin.

"Getting straight to the point, seeing as you already know why you're here. You both remember the double Uprise of felon Witty Phantom D15-A and the Magician of Faith Tessia?"

"Surely you have a more accurate identification of her then just a name." Meridio stated, with expectation.

Veronica looked at Meridio's expression. It was not shown in his face, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was a bit of distaste in his last statement.

"Whatever she is, it doesn't matter. The point is, monsters thought it was simply a myth. Now they have a documented case, and our control over some of the lower levels is starting to slide. Other old stories are starting to be looked at again. Meridio, that event has triggered something that could cause the largest revolt this Realm has ever seen. Monsters are dying everyday now experimenting with new magic. Cults are forming; we've seen everything from back lot Level Conversion Labs to public telling of the Fusion Gate legend. Meridio, we are losing monsters to the dragons because they go out on foot looking for Fusion ingredients, and I can't keep my eyes on everyone anymore."

_Couldn't do that before_, Veronica thought, but wasn't going to say anything out loud.

Taking the large object on his back, the Cyber Commander projected an image onto the blank, although stained wall.

"One of the most outspoken, we think it's someone around a Level Four, someone who can get the lowers' attention, is starting to get some hopeful. You know as well as I do that the Shadow Realm cannot support everyone like us, and they can't expect to. A tip directed us to this meeting. Now, any hostility and we make their cause greater, so we need them to see this as the better alternative. You enter, you locate the leader, and you bring him here for a briefing. If we can have him convinced, we save ourselves a bit of trouble. Protector C9 is going with you. The rest is in the file. Good luck."

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As the two entered the hallway leading to the building's exit, Veronica could feel Meridio's tension. More to put herself at ease then comfort him, she asked the first question that came to her mind.

"So, what do you think?"

The sergeant gave her a sly wink.

"I think I can handle this myself. A low-level riot is nothing I haven't seen before, and I'd hate to think of you getting into any trouble on my account."

"Is that so?" She stated with utmost calm, "Or is it because that company of my level does not advance your reputation. You think I didn't notice that we're missing half the GB squad because you knock them out every week for practice? You practically tasted bile when that monster mentioned Tessia…"

"M-RD-017," he corrected, and quite smug that he knew information that wasn't in the file.

The Protector shot him a pleading look. 

"Why did you have to say that?"

He gave a comforting look as they neared the front door, giving a brief wave to the Manju of the Ten-Thousand hands at the desk.

"It simply means that you are looking too hard. Of course the low levels are essential to the structure of this city, but I don't see the reason why they think they need to keep asking for help that they should be able to make for themselves."

Noting the hurt look, he took her hand, making Veronica tense up in an instant.

"I sense the exception in you, however, and someone with so much spirit at your level is certainly worth the time of day. I do hope that even after this assignment we can get to know each other better. If you would permit me, that is."

Veronica refused to meet his eyes. Here was a monster whose name was very well known in the police force, and was spreading with each new case. Her role was mostly to gain and relay information, Meridio was commanding the officers, so why would he be interested in her? She was a nobody among several monsters who worked her job. Heck, most of the time she was referred to by her seat number.

Still the question needed a response.

"I'll think about it."

"Please do," the knight said, smiling as he stopped, and Veronica gasped as he slid into the seat of his own Oni Tank. "We can start when we meet up. Center of the Warrior Living Quarters would be the best place to start right?" The stunned girl fumbled for the words, but came up with a response quickly enough that it didn't come out awkwardly.

"I…uh, guess so. I'll find a bus and meet you there."

The Jack's Knight grinned as he prepared to leave.

"Don't worry; we'll have this under control in the time it takes for a Harpie Lady Sisters concert to be sold out. I promise."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Protector PT 237-C9 was no stranger to the bus system, and as she boarded the familiar vehicle, she found herself feeling very stupid. Come on, did I seriously believe he would let me ride in that thing? Still, it would have been a first for her if he had.

".Ssimemesuxe'," came a strange chattering in her ear, as she felt her hip forcefully shoved against the side of her seat.

Shocking herself back into reality, Veronica moved over and regarded her visitors. How odd that a squad of Toon Goblins were up in this neck of the woods.

_Must be undercover_, she thought to herself, _Deenine did say mention something about fake Toon World passes going around._

Unfortunately, everyone else in the bus was now in very close quarters, as goblins weren't the smallest races. Worse was the fact that they always seemed to move in packs. The warriors didn't complain however, as the majority of the construction in their area went up fast and sturdy thanks to these guys. That is if they weren't sleeping on the job.

Soon Veronica grew very uncomfortable, as the animated monster sharing her seat could now be considered taking it from her. More then six inches between him and the edge going off into the isle now made her feel more then crushed, she was scared.

Sensing the fear from the woman, the goblin leaned down to talk to her.

"?Uoyotputiekamssikadluow .Ffutstohyrrosm'iho"

Obviously, the poor fool expected Veronica to be lost in his native language since so many monsters here didn't follow Toonjib. He was met with an unpleasant surprise however. The brute puckered up two very large lips, and slobberingly leaned down nearer to the girl.

Veronica now knew why he had pushed her so hard to the edge, and quickly concentrated her power into her hands.

The Toon Goblin opened his eyes… which quickly became the size of tangerines… when his lips did not hit the surface he was expecting. The face he saw was vastly distorted, as he looked through Veronica's crystal ball between them.

"D'I renoos rettahs ni tnorf fo siht sub!" The next word she tried to pronounce wasn't finished as it caused her to bite her tongue, although some of the other warriors looked back with a sense of admiration. The rest of the Toon Goblins were not among them.

The nitwit with a quartz ball practically up his nose gave a dumb apologetic smile that was obviously too little too late. Veronica closed her eyes, and felt herself becoming one with her weapon, feeling the flow of molecules and energy, until it was as much a part of her as her own fingers.

"!ydalyeh" The voice came from several other goblins. 

Veronica looked around for help, but most everyone else had slipped to the back. From what they had seen she could just as easily started the whole thing.

No one was going to get involved in an incident that could bring a catastrophe in Toon relations anyway. And al this was beside the point that no one else on board could have taken them all down anyway. For now it looked like Veronica was on her own. 

Fortunately, that was the time that the bus pulled over for the next stop. 

A single passenger boarded, a rather tired looking Guardian of the Labyrinth. The new arrival took one look at the scenario, and promptly took out a jagged blade. The other passengers looked tense, but rather then help, they decided to keep all of their internal fluids… well, internal.

"Ok, I don't know what happened here, but surely some big important guys like you can find something better do then harass a defenseless…"

"Crystal Orb!"

The ball that was a part of the warrior bashed the lead goblin in the face, and with speed no one could follow, clocked all of the others in mere seconds.

Grabbing the ball again and heaving, she hit one square in the rump, leaving the entire group to fall like dominos, whereupon the new arrival promptly booted all of them out the door just in time for the bus to take off again.

The newcomer didn't notice. He was too busy staring at Veronica as she got to her feet, and calmly sat back into a different vacant seat then the one she was in before, this time more towards the isle.

"Slifer divine!"

"Are you going to sit somewhere? That floor is not the most sanitary place to keep your jaw you know."

A bit flustered, the new Warrior dragged his feet into the next seat ahead of her, then turned around because he was quite sure that no one else on the bus would be speaking to her.

"So, what's your name?"

Veronica quickly snapped her neck to meet his eyes. "What?"

He smiled. "Come on, I can tell, that some one like you would not be…"

The male felt an impact on the back of his head as Veronica called back her crystal.

"Defenseless?" she finished for him. Not that he could answer. Veronica was beginning to lose count of the unconscious Warriors she had seen today.

"Men," She mused, heaving a heavy sigh. "Why couldn't I have appeared as an Amazon?"000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Noting the time, Veronica quickly grabbed a small bite at the Low-Table Diner. It wasn't the best quality, but in the low-level warrior quarters, it had the lowest risk of food poisoning of the places that fit in her budget. 

She quickly tipped the Master serving her, (the Expert carried the tray) and promptly finished her helping of curry, and tried not to notice as a Swordstalker got a laugh from his group of friends by placing his sword at the knee level of the low-level servers as they walked by. One Eyearmor in particular was limping badly, and probably bleeding, but Veronica knew he dared not complain for fear of losing his job.  
She didn't think anything of it. Veronica was just glad for what she had.

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Fortunately, the Low-Table Diner wasn't far from the Center of the Warrior Quarters. Even so, the Protector of the Throne referred to as C9 found herself running to make it on time, something she hated doing as her outfit wasn't that good for it.

Meridio was nowhere to be found, however, Veronica didn't have to look long for the familiar face of Meridio's sister Regina, naturally, a Queen's Knight.

She was sitting in the middle of the Warrior Market Square, where most of the lower classes not working in restaurants scraped a living doing whatever they could. Most were selling small crafts or low-quality magic and trap cubes. 

The Stim-Pack market didn't have as much of a grasp here, as unlike the Spellcaster and Fiend areas, the counsel member here had no sympathy for low-level bootleggers cluttering up his domain. 

Veronica looked amusingly at a Wardrobe Altering Service run by a Lady Panther. She was especially well known for doing her work by hand, rather then using Fickle Tailor cubes. Rumor had it that this was where Yoshida had his outfit adjusted.

Not trying to look suspicious, the undercover maiden took a seat beside Regina on the edge of the center fountain of the square. It was fairly unimpressive, as the statue at its center kept disappearing the next day. It was kept a pool when the Rock monsters simply would not give up anymore material.

"I would think that your brother would have you in a less obvious position, Regina." The agent whispered from the corner of her mouth.  
"Don't talk, just take this. He's waiting for you already."

"Straight to business always," Veronica rolled her eyes. "That fast promoting went to his head. Makes me wonder how long it would have taken if EZ hadn't retired."

The Queen's Knight discreetly slipped her a Shift cube, and pointed with her eyes to an empty apartment window. Regina nonchalantly stretched her arms in a yawn, giving Veronica time to sneak behind her and disappear.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 As she appeared in the empty apartment, the Protector fought back the wave of nausea that she always experienced when she traveled by magic. She didn't even have time to get her bearings when she was greeted by a face she could have lived without seeing today.

"Well, seems that Dupin gave you a mighty fine partner this time Meridio."

The Jack's Knight in question didn't look up, but kept his gaze glued to the window.

"Brother, C9 is on prevention, she's here to help head off any unexpected surprises. Don't think I can't handle this one without a partner."

Eustace, the King's Knight (and what he was the king of clearly wasn't tact) was the third in Meridio's family. Both he and Regina had gone by their numbers until their brother rose through the Police ranks. Meridio always seemed charitable enough to let them help in his cases. It was rumored that he hoped they would die in the line of duty, and thus could stop feeding off of Meridio's reputation, but if this was the case, he hadn't succeeded yet.

"Still, when you get off duty, there's time for a beauty, Ha Ha!"

Eustace jokingly slapped Veronica hard on the back, almost causing her to lose the meal she had so rushed for only moments before in the still pulsing wave of magical nausea.

She silently looked for a language to curse at him in, and being a hired Clairvoyant in a city of several languages, she was fluent in quite a few of them.

She was saved however, when Meridio re-cubed his Ancient Telescope, and began his habit of talking to himself when he got excited.  
"There we go, Brother, take a look at this."

Veronica knelt down, setting her chin at the bottom of the window, as the two card knights focused their vision on what was happening below.

Several lower level warrior and beast-warrior monsters were walking from merchant to merchant in the square, which wasn't unusual, except for the fact that not a single one was buying anything, or indeed even looking.

Protector C9 conjured another crystal, and began focusing it like a telescope. She couldn't tell from this distance, but she would bet the Dark Scorpion's fortune that the majority of these wanderers were fusion compatible.

"Confirmed members," Meridio started, Eustace scrambling to get the information down in his report. "We've got at least eight attendants, maybe more, all Warrior and Beast Warrior types. Among the strongest are Battle Ox, Warrior Dai Grepher, and… Oh dragon droppings, we have at least one Amazon Paladin." 

Veronica saw her too, and this meeting must be important if she was sitting so comfortably next to the Dai Grepher and leaving his arm still attached. _Yeah right_, she thought, _like they could ever fuse_.

"M-19ZZB you are so demoted," Meridio continued as he recognized an M-Warrior down below. Not surprising since he used the M-Warriors for his training on a regular basis.

As the numbers grew, it became much harder to act as if nothing was going on. Veronica clung tightly to her police training, as she caught the shards of what had once been a Monster Egg burst from under the hooves of a Mystic Horseman with an attitude. With a bitter taste in her mouth, she couldn't help but turn an hourglass in her head, and think grimly, nine more. 

Regina below had taken a step into the shallow pool to avoid being trampled, and the brothers were deep in a fierce poll that they were conducting on who would win an argument over a space to stand.

Taking a moment to refocus her vision to the center of her crystal rather then through it, Veronica caught a swish of green, and a faint ringing in her ears.

Smiling to herself, she slipped to the back of the room, crouched in a ball, and stuck a finger in each ear. Moments later, the brothers were on the floor themselves, although for them it was the shock of the irritating shriek down below.

Meridio took a moment to get his bearings, as well as get back on his feet.

"Ug," he complained, "Who set off the Command Silencer?"

"Well you know, you get more monsters' attention with respect and a loud noise then respect alone," Eustace responded, while Veronica tried in vain to stifle her giggles. Fortunately, their ears were ringing too loud to notice.

"Who set it off?"

"Looks like the small guy. Man, how this guy got so many level fours listening to him is beyond me."

Veronica nervously looked back to the window, and had no time to suppress her gasp of shock at the monster who had a wide ring of empty space given to him. Obviously this was their target, and she barely knew the guy. So why did she feel so bad about taking him down?

_Why indeed? Man I love cliffhangers. Well, instead of an intro chapter, we'll just jump right in. Find out who the speaker is, and why he is so obsessed, as well as how the situation is handled in chapter 2, which I call **Metal Raiders.**_

Till next time, JKB


	2. Metal Raiders

**Chapter Two: Metal Raiders**

"If Obelisk is out there somewhere, he must have a sense of humor," Veronica mumbled before she could stop herself. Meridio's sharp ears took immediate interest.

"Someone you know? I would think that someone with as much experience as you could have picked up on this one C9."

She took a moment to clear the cobwebs of shock out of her brain before responding.

"N… N-no, I just met him today actually. Bit of a jerk too."

It was the same Guardian of the Labyrinth from the bus, there was no doubt about it. Even though she was too far away to sense his aura, she saw the same tired posture, not to mention he looked like he was nursing a crystal-induced headache.

"Poor sap. How he expects to keep this crowd's attention is beyond me." Eustace observed.

"With any luck brother, he won't. It would make breaking up this party so much easier on us."

"Meridio, let me spell this out for you," Veronica turned with urgency. "We couldn't talk to him earlier because we didn't know what we were looking for. Now he's out in plain view, so how do we detain him before this meeting without the entire Square thinking we're here to… to…"

"Make sure they keep being treated like Kuriboh with Ebikyo Drakmord sounds like something they would say," Meridio finished with a chuckle. "These monsters need to learn to be happy with what they get. The Shadow Realm would be a lot more productive if they stopped complaining and kept working."

Veronica shot a disapproving look in his direction.

"And how, may I ask, is logic like that going to win over a mob? You don't even know what's being said down there."

"So I get down there and find out. You're my cover remember, I handle the case here."

Veronica was now extremely annoyed. If Eustace registered what was going on, he didn't show it. He was pretty much glued to his post at the window, and taking a very keen interest in the female Warriors below.

"Meridio, you have our respect and you know that, but to them you're just another higher-class oppressor."

The sergeant merely pointed to the opalescent sheen of his armor, which was normally royal blue.

"Forged from a crushed Physical Double cube, and combined with opticamium ore. We got it from a Ryu-Kashin planning to pose as Council members; probably Ha-Des's handiwork. I'm practically a Copycat while wearing this."

Veronica had to say she was impressed.

"Still, you think that no one is going to notice when you simply pop out of nowhere?"

Meridio pulled an active Creature Swap from the folds of his armor into view.

"Give me a little more credit then that."

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The switch was pulled off without trouble. Eustace used his shield to reflect a beam down into Regina's eyes. Catching the signal, she slid into the most hidden corner possible before exchanging places with her brother. Once she was at the lookout, all she could do was sit around and wait.

"What started down there anyway?" Veronica asked with curiosity, even though she was using her ball to gather as much info as she could.

"Mostly old stories. Still, the way he told them got my attention. The whole square looks like they're using Mesmeric Control."

Veronica took slight offense. She had used that sleep-aid on a couple of occasions herself. Worked wonders when one was desperate, but it made her sluggish for hours.

"Still, if he's got them that worked up, we might have a problem."

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Meridio slipped into the shadows as best he could before taking the physical guise of a Mataza the Zapper. He just had to be careful not to get too close to anyone, as the armor didn't hide his aura.

Getting a better view, Meridio couldn't help but grin to himself.

"E5-27, I should have known, but would never have guessed. Still using Poisons it looks like too."

E5-27 was indeed a previous offender, although his record was a short one. He had five minutes of fame months ago when he dated the late 9-RL, a Goddess with the Third Eye who had created a citywide scandal.

The spellcaster spent most of her life researching the Origins of monsters, and their offshoots into the different species. In the course of her research, she found more then anyone had ever thought about compatible monster fusions.

To make her discoveries public, she got several friends to publish her work, Visions of Status: a Guide to Fusion, a complete list of all known possible combinations.

When the upper class got wind of this, they seized most known copies, and tried the entire project with treason, which miraculously came out a Not Guilty.

The victory was shot lived however, when word got out that she was one of the few monster types with a unique and adaptable structure, making it possible for her to fuse with almost anything.

Immediately after her trial, several monsters swarmed her, thinking it in their best interest to fuse with a celebrity, and gain as high of a status as they could. E5-27 would always remember that last pleading look and cry for help, as she was covered by the desperate monsters, and pulled apart alive. They had never even said 'I love you.'

The Guardian became obsessed to the point of insanity after that, diving into tainted Old Man medicines along the way somewhere. Mostly he was a running joke, but obviously, he had come up with something if this so-called "secret meeting" was under way. Meridio thought of all of this as he slipped closer, finally hearing his words.

"…I'm sure of it. I'm sure it exists, I just don't know where."

_Still looking for it aren't you? Well good luck getting help here._

"Come on, let's go," said one of the Battle Ox, who already was becoming disinterested.

"She lost her life because of her work, and I swear I can give a life to those who help me." The Guardian of the Labyrinth pleaded. "Think about it.

I almost gave up hope myself, but it's all here in Draconic."

He held up a rubbing, which to the untrained eye seemed like random scratches in stone. Looking through the eyes of experience though, many monsters gasped as they recognized the runes were made with claw marks. Whatever it said, it was written by a true dragon.

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Veronica stood, her crystal just in front of her face, and silently began mouthing the words as she saw them, in time with E5-27.

_With winged creatures that many fear_

_Gone are your troubles for rest is here_

_If you and another for glory yearn_

_Two beings may enter but one shall return_

_And if your hearts are void of hate_

_It welcomes you, the Fusion Gate_

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Meridio stayed hidden, the camouflaging properties of the armor lived up to his boasting, but he felt anger forming at the base of his spine, and working its way through his entire body. This was _working!_

The entire crowd stopped where they were, and stared transfixed at the shadow of an artifact in front. Noticing the color of the ink, Meridio looked carefully, noting the cloth wrapped around the speaker's left hand. The rubbing had been made with his own blood.

"This was found on the edge of the Dragon Lairs, near the very center of the Shadow Realm's creation. The original was destroyed upon an attempt to move it to the Museum after …" the Guardian choked for a moment, and painfully pushed back a memory attempting to break through. "… it was to be donated. My…" Another pause, though this time he lifted his head, and seemed to gather his courage before continuing.

"Her theory was that this was a relic from the First Dragon Wars, and was a hidden message inscribed by the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon itself. The war may have been lost, but as history knows, the Five-God Dragon eventually rose up in its place.

It mat have been the Dragon's dying wish that this may be discovered, and used to finish what it started. Both Dragons were beings with incredible power, and this Gate, would be the key to it all." The Guardian paused for the effect.

"This is Fusion. And what's more, it's Fusion for every monster, not just the Higher-Levels. We can matter, we can have status. We, everyone, can be like them!"

As Meridio watched, he knew that the crowd was with him even before the applause. As he finished, every monster present uproared with a fury that shook the Forbidden Palace.

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In a high Warrior Penthouse, a monster walked past a closet carrying a single suit of armor, but several identical undershirts, one in particular hidden and perfectly preserved within the wall.

Looking into the mirror, he stared with interest at the shining mark of Malevolent Nuzzler clinging to his cheek.

He stared with tired eyes before wetting a cloth to wash the mark away.

The roar of the crowd below caused the monster in question to jump sharply forward, banging his head, and causing a rather large crack in the mirror.

Nursing the pain, the monster found a familiar moment as he looked back at his broken reflection. It was times like this that he missed his old life.

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Meridio watched with fascination as well as dread at the scene before him. Monsters were crying with joy and hope. E5-27 had never had a wider smile. All the Sergeant knew was that this had to act soon if he had any chance of convincing this captivating speaker to cooperate.

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Above, Regina watched through her Ancient Telescope, and spied Meridio making his move.

"What in Pandemonium? C9, get over here. He's poking the sleeping Insect Queen now."

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Meridio quietly made his way to the front, through the commotion, and over the roar of the crowd, forced his opinion to be heard.

"This is the biggest load of Servant Bones I've heard in my life!" Several monsters beside him stopped to look, the effect of their silence creating a ripple effect that left the square quiet in a few moments. If E5-27 had any objections about the Mazata questioning him, he ignored it.

"I'm only asking for help," the Labyrinth Guardian responded, "It's ok if you don't want to extend it, but at least let our population make up their own minds.

"This is treason, that's what it is," the disguised Meridio continued. "It's not only going against our society, but are you actually considering requesting dragon aid? Forsetti will never allow it."

"This is why any who join me will have to be quiet about this. We could start a new order, one beyond our dreams, and when we have a new standard, anything we do will no longer be looked down upon," the tired monster countered. Monsters began to nod in agreement, causing Meridio to really begin losing his cool.

"If the police find out about this, you'll never see daylight for the rest of your days, and the same fate awaits for any with you. Why do you set them up to be sacrifices to your cause? This is no exploration or excavation. What you plan is revolution." He turned to the crowd. "You know what the dictionary definition is of revolution? It reads, revolution: see suicide."

Meridio tuned back to the Guardian. "It's a fool's errand, and I will keep supporting it as such, but I admit the possibility of archeological significance is great. I happen to have a few connections, and can fully support a search. If you can look at this from an academic standpoint, we might be able to help each other."

The majority of the audience seemed to nod. Now that someone had stepped forward, there was no need to get their own hands dirty. E5-27 wasn't so cautious.

"Exactly what could you bring to the table then?"

"Come with me, and we can discuss the whole thing, but there's no need to make a public scene out of it." Meridio fumbled, looking for anything that could get the two of them alone without suspicion. His blood ran cold with realization as a bellowing voice loomed out of the dark.

"Hey M. What brings you into this part of town!"

_Damn it pig head, you'll blow my cover!_

The cause of the commotion was a Boar Soldier, a nasty monster to fight one on one, but easily taken down in groups. This one in particular was a repeat offender with an eye, and a stomach, for anything containing alcohol. Apparently Meridio's interventions in his life had not helped him kick the habit. E5-27 immediately raised an eyebrow, "'M?'"

"Mazata, 'M' I'll answer to anything, pay him no mind."

"I can… I can resember an aura like that M… if you were on Exodia's right shoulder… and I was on the… the… Oh whatever one was left. How've you been!"

Meridio tuned on a dime to face the Soldier. "Listen pig, be quiet or I'll mash you up next time I order a BLT you got that?"

The Guardian of the Labyrinth, now thoroughly suspicious, asked the intruder a question. "Do you know this guy?"

"Are you kidding?" the Boar hiccupped, causing the sentence to sound very strange indeed. "You don't know Meridio? He's one of the best cops the CSRPD ever had! Even managed to get me four… no it was more then that, three times. The one on with the Overdrive was sister of his. Hey, when did your sister grow a beard?"

"Meridio…" The Guardian repeated, locking eyes with the Mazata, and clearly recognizing what he should have known before. Now that he was looking for it, he wondered how he could have ever missed his aura. That moment, everything was communicated between them in one glance, before E5-27 forced himself to look away.

"Everyone," he declared, in barely a louder whisper, before filling his lungs to capacity, "RUN!"

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"Damn it!" Veronica cursed, exasperated. Regina was already running towards the door, but Eustace just stood stunned for a moment before Veronica smacked the back of his head.

"Move you idiot," she told him, "and the next time I catch you trying to look up my skirt, I'll drop you headfirst and unarmed into Amazon territory." She caught a disgusting grin on his mouth and gave up, running after the Queen's Knight.

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The invisible beam of communication between the eyes of the two warriors broke in an instant, separated only by Meridio switching the catalogue of his armor off. Most monsters, fearing their implication, began to file out of the square at top speed, more then the four of them could hope to keep under control.

Fearing losing his objective, the sergeant bounded forward, carefully looping his arm around the speaker's torso, while his sword held in the same hand put the very tip of the blade under the Guardian's chin.

"Meridio," Veronica called, fighting the wave monsters headed in the other direction.

"I'm fine, just keep me covered," he called back, struggling with his new prisoner.

"I want to help you," she insisted.

The sergeant put two fingers from his other hand into his mouth, and let out a shrill whistle. "Don't worry, I've thought of this already.

Movement stirred in every corner and every shadow where there was room. Veronica's jaw dropped, as she made out what she was seeing.

Jinzo#7s, Cannon Soldiers, and even more impressive Kinetic Soldiers, (a bargaining chip from the machines to try and get a little leniency from Forseti when he was greatly opposed to machines. And yet other reason warrior criminals were relatively rare. These troops were great deterrents.)

Veronica now realized what Meridio had been doing after they left the station

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"Well, E5-27, I can't say it's glad to see you again," Meridio whispered in the ear of his capture, never once letting his blade go slack.

"Yeah," the guardian replied, almost choked, keeping his muscled tight. Any slack, and he would have another opening to breathe through. "I get that a lot."

Meridio savored this moment as commotion and violence seemed to escalate in the streets, warriors clashing against the machines closing around them.

"You could have done so much after her loss, you were nearly a celebrity. Now look at yourself. A pathetic piece of empty space who wastes his time on story chasing, and his money on Poison of the Old Mans, and whatever you have left getting them tainted," Meridio told him. "You are now something that we can't let go, because I'm not going to let you convince these monsters to waste their lives for you; just like you wasted your life for her."

That stung the Guardian of the Labyrinth deeper then he had ever been hurt before, even when he had seen his love, disappear into the flood of a desperate mob. Tears dropped onto the back of Meridio's hand.

"No," E5-27 replied, "because they still need me."

A snap of the Guardian's neck, and his helmet caught Meridio in the chin, followed by a jab with his right elbow, causing the inexperienced fighter to grimace in pain. Apparently an elbowing a man in armor wasn't a good idea.

But the impact was enough to knock the stunned cop backwards, and gave the prisoner time to draw his weapons.

"Minosian Combination," he commended, his right hand bathed itself in indigo flames.

Priming a spell cube, the warrior also pulled out what at first looked like a long baton, or an odd wand. On closer inspection though, Meridio saw that we was holding the end of a Horn of the Unicorn, an odd choice, but like one of the most favored weapons in the Shadow Realm, the Sword of Deep Seated, it was a tough weapon to burn out.

The warrior knew he didn't stand a large chance of winning, but he knew enough about Meridio to know that running would only cause nearly permanent back paqin, and a face full of dirt. Anyone with the intelligence of a Giant Orc knew not to turn their back on this guy

Meridio twirled his blade in his wrist and readied himself for combat. "Make this tough for me, and I won't hesitate to kill you. You know that."

E5-27 breathed deeply and gathered himself, Meridio didn't even give him a chance for that.

Most of the square's occupants were clustered around the edges, to there was plenty of space to move, which made Meridio's job a whole lot harder.

The Guardian kept his right fist out at all times, exposing his sword arm only when he was sure that he wouldn't lose it.

Meridio fought sideways, keeping his right arm extended, and only using the left for balance, elegantly stabbing, but it always ended up against the shield, unlike another blade where he could weave around and create his own opportunities to expose his opponent.

Whenever the Guardian made an attack, he moved only the barest amount. A miss by millimeters was still a miss, and he saved energy, while his opponent lost his own in a wide arc.

The two weapons never came in contact; it was shield against sword, while the other sword waited for a move. Still, a thought of dread that had been known since the beginning crept into the horn user's mind. Meridio had far more endurance.

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_Cover me, well, looks like you could use some cover now, and I can FINALLY get in on the action._

Veronica was climbing up the fire escape of the building nearest to the fighting pair.

She tried to drown out the cries of rioting around the edges of the square exits. So far Meridio's machine enlistments were doing their best at keeping the peace, but it was understandable that the population wanted well out of the way of the duel.

Unfortunately, the crowd was so thick that none of the troops could come to Meridio's aid. That was where she came in. It worked once, and if she could get to a safe spot, she could use her crystal to knock this warrior out until next All Shadow's Beginning. As she climbed she didn't see the action coming perilously close.

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"I'll handle it, please remain calm, and excuse me!" Regina had taken over managing the crowds, and it had mostly settled down now that it was realized that the majority of the fuss was Q&A.

Eustace was obviously impatient, wanting to go and help his brother, and looked pleadingly over at his sister, seeking permission.

"Oh, for the God's sake, just go," she finally relenting. Eustace quickly sprinted in Meridio's direction. It was a decision that came back to haunt her.

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Now Meridio was working in one of his favorite territories, close environment, under the first set of stairs of the fire escape that Veronica was currently climbing.

The heat began to rise as the dark flames making up E5-27's shield took their toll on the metal, which quickly absorbed the heat. The support of the escape was a basically, tin metal bars, similar to jail bars, supporting each individual step from the one below it

Eustace was mere feet away from the scuffle, and the Guardian took Meridio's moment of pause and recognition to swing a wide arc with the horn he was using as a weapon. At the last moment the sergeant ducked, the horn cleaving several of the bars made brittle by the heat.

The two combatants saw this and ducked against the side of the building immediately.

The stairs above them swung towards the building, stopping only when the sides of the steps caught on the severed pipes jutting above the ground. The dust cleared did either of the two realize the true extent of what had happened.

Swinging forward as they had, the top haves of the bars had become spears when they had come down, and two of them were now through Eustace's torso, his weapon at his side with a clatter.

The moment was cut short by another scream above them; Veronica was hanging perilously three stories above by the guardrail, her two hands growing white trying to hang on.

E5-27 jumped up to help the trapped woman, stepping right past Meridio, who rose to his feet to face his brother.

"Meridio…" he wheezed, fighting the fluid building in his pierced lungs. He couldn't manage the rest.

The sergeant took a small vile from his bag of magic and trap cubes, and carefully took his brother down. He poured its contents into one of the wounds, knowing his heart would take it faster then the usual route of ingestion. Especially when he had so little time left. It took about another thirty seconds for his heart to stop.

Meridio backed away as his clothing, most of his hair, most of his fingernails, anything not connected to the bloodstream burst into familiar shards. He never thought he would see one of his own family go like this.

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Luckily for Veronica, this wasn't a building designed for those with immense physical stature, but she didn't like the thought of hanging thirty feet off the ground, and her swinging weight wasn't helping matters.

When at last the metal seemed to stop rocking, she looked down and immediately wished she hadn't. The fall was too far to drop without something vital being broken, and if this thing fell completely she'd be flattened between the rail and the ground.

Taking matters into her own hands, the maiden attempted to pull herself up over the railing. The strain forced her arms to relax, and the change in weight made the escape give way, Veronica hanging on desperately to get on top of the stairs.

Within a second, she felt lifted off her feet, swaying with the falling tower. She closed her eyes, waiting for the booming crash to fill her ears. When it did, to her utter astonishment, her feet never touched the ground.

Barely getting up the nerve to open her eyes, she noticed that while her arms still clutched the rail, her legs were in the arms of the very one they had come to capture.

The Guardian had taken the last second to dive under the rail, grabbing her, and supporting her on the other side of the rails, and into empty space. Unfortunately the moment she let go, her shoulders hit the bare earth with a force that knocked her wind from her lungs.

"All right miss? Hey, you're the one who can curse in the old Draconic aren't you? You almost got it without tongue biting too; not that I remember any more then that thanks to the whacking you gave me."

"Yeah sorry about that," Veronica coughed with a bit of sarcasm. "E5-27 right?"

"Yes," he started, taking a moment to sip a bit of purple liquid from a flask at his waist. His eyes rolled back for a moment, before he got back into the conversation. "But I prefer Five. 'E' is the fifth letter of the Prime alphabet. Two minus seven equals five. It's just easier that way."

"I'll remember that when they sign your death certificate," Meridio challenged, before delivering a hard punch to Five. He then pressed his hooked fingers to the warrior's heart. There would be no intentional miss this time.

"Chivalry…"

Five grasped Meridio's fist and forced it closed, holding on to it for dear life. Meridio tried to force it open, but the pain intensified as the nails on Five's armor pierced the flesh of his hand.

"Fiiyyaahhh!"

Five through the fist aside, not wanting to look at the damage that had been inflicted. Meridio still in pain tripped a Shadow Spell from his bag, the chains knocking Five in a way that he could convincingly pretend to be unconscious. It would save him a lot of pain.

Veronica immediately went to the sergeant, nursing a severely burned right palm. It looked to her that the entire hand may be beyond repair. "Well, that was unexpected," Veronica started, before becoming totally serious.

"I'm sorry about your brother."

Not seeming to even be registering the pain, Meridio seemed almost gleeful. "Oh don't worry. Just the rally alone would be cause enough to charge this piece of filth with treason, but the death of an officer and this…" he held up his hand, "is cause for execution."

Veronica gaped. "You can't! He wasn't doing anything illegal here until we showed up. Even Breaker wasn't…"

"Breaker's death would have made him a martyr," Meridio countered, looking at the bound warrior who unknown to him was listening to his every word, "but I promise you, if I have anything to say about it, Granmarg will be handing him over to the Headhuntresses within a week."

_And that's the cliffhanger. Next chapter, Meridio goes to present his case for Five's execution. Five and Veronica get to know each other better, and the outcome of Five's trial. All, some, or none of these may happen in the chapter known as, **Enemy of Justice**_


	3. Enemy of Justice

**Chapter Three: Enemy of Justice**

It was a game commonly played in the Central Shadow Realm, when a monster died and several others knew them. All around there were the occasional murmurs of "sleep in the arms of St. Joan", and "my Necrovalley accept him." Meridio didn't feel like playing. In fact, he wanted every one of their noses broken.

A funeral in the Central Shadow Realm was a rare event, mostly because a monster could very well spend their own lives attending them. Also, most preserved bodies were used for study, and were nowhere near respectful to the deceased after the Lilly's got through with them. Meridio took great pride that he could give this last gift to his brother.

Regina and Meridio had both made a temporary addition to their armors, a pitch black cape, which they then threw around their shoulders. To Meridio it was also a convenient way to hide his damaged hand. He had briefly considered grafting a Fusion Sword to it, but it would hinder the wrist movement he was so good at.

Eustace's lower body was wrapped tastefully in a formal sheet, lying in the bottom of a small bowl-like indentation in the ground. Monsters who knew him placed small items of respect down into the basin, but stayed very far from the edge. The reason for this was simple. The chemicals were made so that the body would never break down. If by great fortune, the deceased was a legend in their own right; they would be forever entombed and untouched, worshiped by those who would come to see them. Unfortunately, since the majority of such monsters most often died in battle, they thus shattered as usual, along with whatever possessions they held. 

For the others, the current tradition took place.

"It wasn't your fault," Regina told him, though Meridio did nothing to respond. Sensing no reason to do otherwise, she continued. "I was the one who sent him to help you. He seemed so eager to be what you were Meridio, I thought I'd give him a chance to at least play a part in this." She was openly crying now, but still her brother remained focused on the festivities. Regina finally gave up, until she heard a faint response to her ears.

"This was no accident," he stated icily. "That Guardian planned the whole thing. He weakened that structure carefully, waiting, that death trap was meant for me. Eustace died where I should have; in fact he probably saved my life. I will not let him sacrifice himself to a madman, while the real killer gets nothing."

Meridio looked on, as a small gate opened, quickly filling the basin with a tough acid solution, dissolving everything at the bottom. Meridio was deep in thought, as he mindlessly tapped his brother's sword against his thigh.

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Veronica fought great guilt all the way to the holding cells, under the CSRPD headquarters. There was no natural light at this level, well, not that there was ever much outside either. Machines and Plants had both been known to overpower guards after a brief charge. That was why prisoners never got to go outside anymore.

As she walked, the Protector wondered; why did he have to be on the other side of the complex?

Veronica saw him first, and was amused at what she saw.

Five had taken the liberty of redecorating already after only one night. The translated poem from the tablet was on the wall, as well as diagrams, and other research apparently memorized. She supposed it was probably just easier to have it in front of him. Five was also showing serious signs of tainted Poison of the Old Man withdrawal, and it hadn't even been twelve hours yet.

What really got her laughing though, was the fact that he was only wearing his under-armor clothes, a rather embarrassing to be when one was not alone. That, and the fact that he was snoring. But the cheeriness faded when she look another look at his left hand. It was even more heavily bandaged then the day before.

"Good evening C9,"she heard him ask from within the cell. "Have you come to talk, or are you just here to look?"

Surprised, but keeping her distance, she tried to make conversation.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I don't sleep much," he replied from his stretched out position on a cot attached to the wall, the only furniture in the room, "but the guards walk right past instead of taunting me."

Despite the situation, he seemed rather calm, but she supposed the beating taken from his withdrawal probably numbed most of his other emotions as of late.

"I just wanted to thank you, for saving my life."

He chuckled. "Well, at least someone noticed." He suddenly became very serious. "What happened earlier this afternoon, I never intended that to happen. Come to think of it, why aren't you at the funeral?"

_Oh, great, rub it in. I feel bad enough already_, she thought, but knew with his predicament, he wouldn't feel too badly for her. She cleared her throat, and avoided the question entirely.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" she asked.

"Other then the obvious 'get me out of here'?" he chuckled warmly, before thinking for a moment, glancing from his notes on the walls, to his bandaged hand. "A pen would be nice. I never seem to have anything to write with."

Both of them shared a laugh at that, before the Protector of the Throne found herself unconsciously blushing.

All of a sudden, it was as if a light had turned on in Five's head, and he picked himself up, and came pleadingly up to the bars.  
"There is one thing miss…"

"Seenine," she explained, going by her more professional title. He raised a knowing eyebrow, the kind you raise when you want someone to spill the entire story.

Smiling at the fact that she couldn't hide, she finally gave in, "Veronica."

"I knew it," he grinned in triumph. "Now, Veronica, I need you to do something for me. I just want to see someone, think you can handle that?"

Focusing her energy into another crystal, she couldn't believe just how likable this Warrior was becoming to her. Her chest swelled as she remembered the earlier events of the day, and why he was here; but he did save her life, and she owed him this much for that.

"All right," she said nervously, as she held the ball up to his eyes, "Who do you want to see?"

"Someone gone," he replied, "an old friend. She's probably in the Higher Plane, Goddess with the Third Eye number 9-RL, can you remember that?"

"Nine Are Ell," she repeated, focusing hard. "I think I've got it, just look inside the center of the ball, not through it."

Normally she just used her powers to get brief images and sound clues, but this time, she poured her full effort into bringing the entire picture to as much clarity as possible. It was difficult on the surface, but to get something from the Higher Plane was something she was not very experienced with.

Five stood mesmerized, as the golden glow in the center of the ball cleared into her precious face, and the ring of her laughter filled his ears for only a moment. He tried to reach out, and touch her, but before he did, Veronica's energy gave way, dimming the image instantly

Five looked at her panting with strain, and immediately realized just what he has asked of her. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly."You... really loved her… didn't you?" the Protector asked between pants.

Five ran his eyes over the markings on the walls one more time. "She helped me to believe in something," he replied, "and that's all I have left of her."

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Five days later, Veronica sat at her table, scanning the various frequencies for any new information, when for a split moment, something hit her, that forced her to stop on the spot.

"Veronica?" asked Deenine, her closest friend on the job, and one of the only people at work who called her by her name.

"Something's happened," the Protector in chair C9, blurted out with fear. "I need to go."

"Veronica, don't make me work double today again, last month you promised you'd owe me."

"Thanks Dee, I knew you'd understand," she rambled. "I owe you one, bye."

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"And I need you, to go down to the Spellcaster Living Quarters. We've got a Lady of Faith who fell out of a window."

Meridio was briefing a Shadow Tamer on her next investigation when Veronica finally found him.

"Meridio," she addressed with the clear message that she meant to talk NOW. "Just a moment," he responded calmly, ignoring her insistence. "As I was saying, probably a suicide. Neighbors say she was severely depressed after loosing her roommate last year. But it could be that someone didn't like the fact she had a name, so don't rule anything out yet.""Yes sir," she responded, before quickly heading out to her next project, and Meridio turned to the other woman with class.

"Now what did you want, C9, that couldn't possibly have waited until the end of the day hmm?"

"You moved up the trial to tomorrow that's what. How could you, you know that the Cobraman Suzaki case was up next, and after Granmarg, Mobius will play favorites to him, we'll have to wait another two sessions!"

"So some T.A.D.P.O.L.E. breeding got out of hand, what damage could a few Des Frogs do?"

"They devoured sixteen residents in the Plant and Insect Living Quarters!" Veronica shouted, now openly furious, "The Insect Queen has threatened to eat us alive if we postpone the trial, and I mean that literally!"

Meridio took a moment to clear his ears with a finger from her constant use of exclamation points.

"I've already taken responsibility for this, and managed to call in a few favors," he said reassuringly. "C9, please understand, Regina and I both want closure."

Veronica was extremely uneasy about the way he was presenting this case. It made her almost certain that there was something else going on.

"Ok," she said nervously. "I understand, but I can't say I agree. Your brother's body was put to rest already. Why can't you do the same with his memory?"

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It was just another meeting for the Shadow Council, not that that ever meant anything positive.

Raelvion, Forseti, and D'Ampton, the Lord of Dragons, were in a three way shouting match. The Buster Blader had never gotten over the fact that two spellcasters were on the council, even though D'Ampton spoke on behalf of the Dragon Lairs.

Kalvelos and Messiena were also in their usual stalemate, as were Sellick and Mr. Volcano. Ophilia was in her usual state of shouting at everyone.

Exodia was now too involved in his worst headache since… actually he couldn't really remember it being this bad, but then again his migraines seemed to follow that pattern.

"Order!" he bellowed, quieting everyone but the Warrior and the Spellcaster. "And you two, if you don't be quiet this instant, I swear I'll get the next Polymerization off the lines and shove half of it down each of your throats!" 

The threat worked, although Forseti looked like he had much more to say. Raelvion seemed genuinely apologetic.

Clearing his throat, the head of the Shadow Council began the meeting by addressing Escalus, the Frontier Wiseman, and middle-man between the Council and Police force.

"Forseti has informed me of a very large disturbance in the Warrior Market Square last week, and he has received several complaints. Does Dupin have an official statement regarding this?"

Before Escalus could answer, a light indicating the Machine King was requesting the floor burned brightly.

"I seem to remember that several members of my race were put in harms way while the true officers took cover behind them. Is there a statement on that as well?"

Kalvelos, the Summoned Skull, stole the floor away from him with a press of his own button.

"The machine race can repair themselves far better then any of our other races can. And personally, I wouldn't think a decrease in their population would be all that bad myself."

This earned a few chuckles from the members, although the Machine King was not amused.

"Think about it," Kalvelos pressed, "come to think of it, most machines aren't even alive."

"Just what are you implying?" Pumpking glared through its one eye, rising on his tendrils off of his slime covered chair."

Escalus cleared his throat just then, and started talking quickly so the situation would not get any worse.

"The intervention you are referring to, took place rather smoothly. No major civilian injuries and the crowd calmed down fairly quickly…"

"To say nothing of the fact that a non-resisting suspect was apprehended with a sword to his throat?" the Rude Kaiser  
interjected. "Sounds like a perfect way to get someone killed, which indeed happened if I recall correctly."

All of this was over Ophelia's head, in more ways then one. No one tols the Low-Level representative anything. "What was going on anyway?" Ophilia inquired, rising to her full height on top of her chair.

"Shut Up!" came the mass response, but the Queen's Double held her ground.

"It does seem suspicious that the trial be moved up Forseti," Sellick, the Harpie's Brother added. "So much happening, I wouldn't be surprised if someone took it upon themselves bring justice to the situation. Things could be going on behind the scenes could they not?" He grinned at a certain member of the party. "What do you think Mr. Volcano?"

The Pyro and Thunder representative rose to his feet in response to the challenge. 

"It's been dismissed several times Sellick, just like you should be. You do nothing here, it's all due to…"

"My sisters," Sellick finished. "Do you have to mention that fact whenever you talk to me directly?"

"This arguing is pointless," The Legendary Fisherman injected. "No one is on trial here. Indeed, the trial that needs the most attention is the one that has been mysteriously advanced. I have to admit, this does not impress well upon those I represent."

"And I'm not too thrilled about having to deliver the news in my quarters," Rude Kaiser added nervously.

The chamber was silent for a moment, save for Ophilia's squeaks for attention

Escalus once again asked for the floor by clearing his throat. "Maybe this would be of some assistance. The officer responsible for the capture has asked to be able to address the council directly. Should I send him in?"

Exodia thought of this for a moment, and caught Ophilia adjusting an enormous stack of papers out of the corner of his gigantic eye. The decision was easy.

"Indeed, send him in, but no more then five minutes."

Meridio elegantly walked through the door, and into the main chamber, catching the Dark Magician's suspicious eye, and almost lost his comfort. Nevertheless, he made a low kneel in the center of the room, and prayed his voice would echo loud enough throughout the chamber for him to be heard.

"Honored representatives," Meridio began, "I am told that my actions have reached you, and I apologize. Dupin and I have already spoken, but I feel I must present my case." Meridio did a quick sweep to make sure he hadn't lost anyone. 

"I feel that this is a matter to be resolved with haste, as some of the population has already begun to question this arrest, and to hold E5-27 for long could cause sympathy for him. Mark my words though, this perpetrator is dangerous. He plans to lead many on a hunt that will end in nothing but death and false hope. He cleverly orchestrated a lethal trap, resulting in the death of an officer, and what's more, he was clever enough to make it look like an accident. This…"

"Thank you officer, that will do," Exodia concluded. Meridio was not use to this, but swallowed his comeback, and made a solute with his right hand. Several eyebrows raised, and a few squinted, but it was the Fairy Representative, the Wingweaver Messiena, who asked the question. "What is that?"

Meridio flexed his hand, now a chrome color. His entire right hand was now overlaid with a permanent glove of Metalmorph, a synthetic element created by the machines. The material was very durable, but hard to keep pliable at high temperatures. Meridio had taken care of that problem by using a mild acid, an idea inspired at his brother's memorial. The burn that had crippled him was a thing of the past.

"This, dear members, is the work of the one who should never again see daylight."

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Only the Council could ratify this request in the time Meridio needed. After a round of Q&A, it came down to a vote, as these things tended to do. Exodia, Raelvion, Ophelia, and Rude Kaiser voted to keep the Trial from being advanced. Everyone else voted to continue as Meridio proposed.

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The news spread within hours, which was fortunate for Veronica, seeing as the trial would now take place the next day. True, justice had never had a reputation for moving slowly, but this had to have set a new record.

She made her way quickly back to the holding cells, making doubly sure to check everywhere with her crystal before moving too far ahead. To her relief, she only made out two signatures, and they were both the people the Protector wanted to talk to. Making a desperate run, the girl found someone she had apparently missed, and her face went white with fear.

"Careful Miss," the Dark Magician regarded, as he stared thoughtfully into the bars. Five was now conversing with the Spherous Lady that was apparently the Guardian of the Labyrinth's representation.

"Mister Representative, I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"First off, since I am not addressing you in a meeting, I would prefer if you addressed me as Raelvion," he smiled back at her. "I never get tired of it, I like the ring. Not to mention it's much better then what I went by years ago, but that was before advancing."

Veronica didn't feel bad about this. Even though Spellcasters could grow more powerful through knowledge, with the centuries it took, it was almost as difficult as an Uprise.

The Magician made another moment of eye contact before answering the obvious question. "Personally, there are portions of the Zombie Living Quarters that smell better then this, but I can't pardon anyone without more presentable information, especially considering a Warrior. As much as I hate t admit it, Forseti can be much more influential then I can, so I'm down here to see if your friend has a chance."

The Protector's heart gave a slight rise. "Any luck?"

The Magician slouched a bit. "Right now, I think he has a better chance of catching the Dark Scorpions with a butterfly net then going free tomorrow."

That certainly didn't make the worried female feel any better.

"That's not to say there aren't some things on his side," Raelvion confessed. "Meridio is the only first account witness, while he has you…"

"I didn't see what happened to Eustace," Veronica admitted. "I was hanging off a building at the time."

The Dark Magician seemed to deflate slightly. "That complicates things. Alt.-Zero here is a rock type, so that may persuade Granmarg a bit, and your friend has his attribute to his advantage. Thestalos is the one who loves a good beheading, but Mobius isn't much better."

"Shame we didn't get a date on Zaborg's shift," the Protector wished. "I've heard he's never ordered an execution."

"No, he prefers Capsules," the Spellcaster answered dryly.

Finally gathering her courage, Veronica wrapped against the bars. Spherous Lady 0M-0H0 winced in annoyance at her train of thought being derailed, but Five looked genuinely glad to see her, although it was hard to tell through the overpowering look of fatigue he was bearing.

The attorney was about to protest, but the Guardian cut her off with a quick beaconing gesture, and struggled to get to his feet. He stumbled, his head getting within whispering distance of the bars. Poison withdrawal was never a pretty thing to look at, but it was batter then being hooked on Stim-Packs.

"I wanted to let you know I'll be there tomorrow," she whispered, realizing how much she would have liked to be holding Five's hand. 

"What about your boyfriend, Sergeant Meridio? I wouldn't think he'd let you hang around here." Five asked with more then a hint of sarcasm. PT 237-C9 was taken aback. "Where did that come from?"

"The Sergeant has been down here on a number of occasions to look at his prize," Five responded weakly. "He's told me I got in his way of saving you. He's obviously looking for a partner in more then one sense of the word."

Veronica felt a bit of anger rising. She couldn't shake the notion that she was just another Low-Level Meridio wanted to show his power over. No more then a trophy to the public, and in this, she and Five had something in common.

"I don't care what Meridio thinks, or what he does to me. I don't want to see you in here forever. I want to help you." The words were ones she didn't remember thinking about. It took her saying them out loud to realize they were true.

"Excuse me, but if you want to talk to the lady with air between you instead of bars, I suggest we get back to work," the Spherous Lady reminded them.

Veronica did what she had come for, and set a small vile of purple liquid on the floor on the other side of the bars. The Guardian gaped unbelievingly, and then looked at the girl for an explanation.

"Don't use it right away," she warned, as fear for herself crept into every bone in her body. "You need to be presentable tomorrow, whatever that takes.

She turned and fled, not noticing the Dark Magician had already left, probably because he knew what she was up to. That left Five with more questions, as he cradled the precious vile in his hands.

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Five was reliving memories he'd rather have forgotten, as he was brought his armor, (his blade was left behind) and promptly bound by a Shadow Spell by two Giant Orc guards. They were perfect for the job… strong, loyal, and expendable. 

The circles under the warrior's eyes had vanished, and he felt confident enough to take down half the Dragon Lairs, but he knew he'd be back to his old self within hours. Unfortunately, the trial would be long over before then if precedent was any indication.

The Court was held within the Police Headquarters, a much larger section, as it had to host a twelve-foot Monarch each day, but the room in comparison was not that large.

Six Giant Orc guards, two at each entrance, (Prisoner, Judge, and Prosecution) watched the whole thing, though they were probably too dumb to understand what was going on. 

The other door, the one no prisoner never returned from, was oddly comforting in appearance. Raregold and Metalsilver were worked into the pattern, Slypher the Sky Dragon, whose coils were shown wrapped around Reaper of the Cards, with Shinato shown above, and Terrorking Archfiend below.

Around the edges, traditional runes spelled out whatever they could to prevent curses and final threats from escaping beyond that door.

Three seats were set behind two benches across from each other. On one side it would be the Arresting Officer, the Prosecution Representation, and a Witness. The same was for the Defense, although the Officer was obviously replaced with the defendent.

Five sighed once again. As Arresting Officers were more often then not the prosecution themselves, they more often then not had two witnesses instead of one, a severe disadvantage.

Veronica, Alt.-Zero, and Five took their seats, and waited. The other doors opened soon after.

Veronica's heart caught in her throat, as she saw Regina enter the room and look at her with a deep apologetic gaze. Meridio's face was one of a Winged-Beast, not surprising since he had done this type of thing before. Lastly was an Ancient Gear Soldier, who Veronica supposed must have been one of Meridio's troops during the raid.

"Silence, please," a Spirit of the Books addressed in front of the towering Judge's entrance. "This trial is being held to resolve the matter of crimes perpetrated by Guardian of the Labyrinth number E5-27 as of the time of his arrest, the twenty-second day of the second month. Arresting officer was Jack's Knight number 706-J. Judging this trial, the Monarch of Earth, Granmarg."

The door opened, and the titan of stone took his seat, while the winged assistant quickly took his place at a small desk to take notes.

Setting his hands on the large desk, as he preferred not to look over notes and get the same information twice, he took a largely uncomfortable moment, looking and staring, and sizing up each and every life form in the room.

As he inhaled to make his first address, everyone else held their breath.

"I'll be frank with you Meridio," the Monarch began, making the level-5 sergeant pale for being addressed personally right off the bat. "I was impressed by your first case, as you remember I presided that. However, it has reached me that this trial was somewhat… manipulated ahead of schedule and I am dying to hear the Prosecution's reasoning for this." The Defense table relaxed considerably, a mistake, as it did not escape the judge's notice.

"You," Granmarg cornered, "I have no better feelings about. A Public Rally that needed Police intervention to break up? Resisting arrest leading to the death of an officer?"

"Sir, if I might…" Five began pleading, another mistake, making two strikes before the trial even opened.

"The Accused will remain silent." Granmarg ordered, almost pronouncing the period at the end of the sentence.

Five looked to Alt.-Zero for support, but found her gaze locked on the Monarch. She had been here enough to know this, and also knew that Five should be doing the same. Breaking that respect to tell him however, would be their last strike. She had warned Five about this, but he didn't seem to be remembering. Meridio was internally grinning, but like Alt.-Zero, he knew how to get the Monarch's attention, or avoid it for that matter. He waited for Granmarg to open for the Prosecution, and gratefully took the floor.

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Seeing this made Veronica wonder exactly what in the Police was Meridio lacking in. Unfortunately for Five, she found nothing.

The Sergeant used his hands in sweeping gestures, subliminally flashing the metallic shine of his right hand whenever he could. He   
took several minutes stating his version of the events before, during, and after, leaving little room for Alt.-Zero to punch holes through.

When the story was finished, it was Five's turn, which was much more brief, and Veronica wanted to hold her head in her hands. Those Tainted cubes had blunted the his memory, and even without that he hadn't the training of Meridio to sharpen his mind to detail.

When it came time for cross examination, both sides fought as if with blades, trying to find a weakness in each other's story. Granmarg watched with equal interest with both sides. The clock began to turn, and Veronica's breaths became more heavy and panic filled. It seemed to go on for hours.

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Finally the time for deliberation was over, and Granmarg slammed his fists on the table to quiet the room.

"After everything I've heard, it seems that the Prosecuting Officer has a strong case that would make me think less of even the most respected monsters."

Meridio gave a satisfied grin. Five fought the urge to take the last few drops from the bottle still hidden in his sleeve.

"However, the Defense has provided several reasons for these actions, as well as a genuine feeling of apology, as such, the sentence will remain prison time, the exact length to be determined."

Meridio was livid, but remained calm, sensing the nervous twitches of his prey. He crossed the room, as the Monarch continued thinking, and held his right hand out to Five.

"I really have to thank you," he said, with an air of knowing, "this could come in handy, and after hearing about this, I can see that Eustace's death was just a terrible accident. No hard feelings, and if it makes you feel any better, now I kind of know how you felt after you lost her."

Five was a little skeptical, but took the handshake. Meridio shook the Guardian's arm relentlessly, until a little bottle fell to the floor with a ringing clang.

Granmarg looked up immediately, and Veronica turned in horror.

"It seems the defendant was not fit to stand trial," he said with the hurt of someone betrayed. "As such, the defense's testimony is void, and Guardian of the Labyrinth number E5-27 is hereby sentenced to an immediate execution by beheading. Case Closed!"

"No!" Veronica yelled, in time with the final fist on the table. Granmarg turned to leave the room, but the girl ran headlong into Giant Orc guards. Five was in the same boat.

"You set me up, slimeball," Five yelled furiously as Meridio bore a smug look of power. 

"That bottle was yours," Meridio countered, "But I'm afraid you won't have the time for an appeal. Say Hi to my brother for me, although you probably won't end up in the same place as he did. Goodbye E5-27, I can't say you didn't impress me."

The Orc guards took the prisoner away, through the haunting metal door.

"How could you?" Veronica screamed at him, "How could you do that to him you…" This time she didn't bite her tongue, but Meridio didn't phase in the slightest.

"You'll come around," he told her, "It may seem cruel now, but I can't let someone like that go free. You'll understand eventually, if you make it to the real force someday."

Tears ran down the girl's face as she stared hopelessly as the metal door swung shut.

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With his head covered, Five felt the cold steel of a Beautiful Headhuntress's blade touch the back of his neck. The chill was gone for a moment, and then he felt nothing at all.

_Don't you just hate a sad ending? Well, it's a good thing this isn't the end of the story then. Next chapter Veronica starts on the true quest to find the Fusion Gate and pick up where Five left off, but first she's got to catch her breath after being through the ominous maze that is the CSR for her own crime. All, Some, or None of this may happen in Chapter Four: Legends of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon_


End file.
